Health Workforce Australia released a document in its Australia’s Health Workforce Series in March 2014 – “Pharmacists in Focus.” It states that pharmacy graduate numbers have generally increased year on year from 2008 to 2012, peaking at 1,914 in 2012. While the report does say that it does not yet have data on workforce exits, it does say that consequences of more pharmacists in Australia may include “reducing remuneration, reducing work hours, people not finding employment and future students choosing other career options. Stakeholder bodies noted there is already a perception that pharmacy graduates are choosing further study or pursuing careers outside of pharmacy rather than enter the pharmacist workforce due to concerns about oversupply, training opportunities, and/or salaries.”

Some of the key points in the Health Workforce Australia report were that:

• 3.5% of students who completed pharmacy courses between 2007 and 2010 went on to commence medicine courses in 2011
• There has been an increase in the number of pharmacists in Australia of more than 60% since 1996
• Industry associations are concerned about the ability of the industry to offer sufficient clinical placements, as well as the quality of pharmacy programs as entrance scores have dropped with the increase in the number of pharmacy schools in Australia
• In 2012, there were 27,025 registered pharmacists in Australia, with 272 looking for work in pharmacy, 711 employed elsewhere and not looking for work in pharmacy, 742 overseas, 441 retired, 1072 on extended leave and 510 not employed and not looking for work
• In 2012, of the 27,025 registered pharmacists, 1,945 (7.2%) were provisional registrants – that is, pharmacy graduates in their intern year
• In 1996, 75.8% of pharmacists employed in Australia were born in Australia, and by 2011 this had dropped to 58%
• In 2012, the percentage of employed pharmacists were as follows: community pharmacy 63.1%, hospital pharmacy 17.6%, community healthcare service 2.7%, medical centre 2.0%, other private practice 1.9%, educational facility 1.7%, other government department or agency 1.4%, pharmaceutical manufacturing 1.3%, other commercial service 1.2%, residential health care facility 0.7%, defence force 0.3%, wholesale pharmacy 0.2%, correctional services 0.1%, aboriginal health service 0.1% and other 5.6%

Click here for My Health Career’s previous article “Pharmacy – are there jobs out there for pharmacists,” which includes examples of non-traditional roles in pharmacy.